Mental Illness

Choi Juhyun sobbed bitterly for a while. But when I neither comforted her nor took any action, she gradually began to quiet down on her own. Listening to her cries slowly subside, I found myself momentarily lost in thought.

What should I do? When I first came here, I expected an ambush or to fall into a trap. But instead, they took a step back, trying to include one of their own in our group. Was that really necessary? Regardless, I decided to adjust my approach. They were probably watching us like hawks from the shadows. If so, I had to draw them out.

Wiping the tear stains from her cheeks, Choi Juhyun spoke in a voice that was still choked with emotion.

“Just a moment ago, I was ready to die. Thank you for saving me. Now that I’m alive, I find myself wanting more. Could you protect me just once more? Those vagrants will surely attack again. I’m sorry for what my group did, but I want to avenge my fallen comrades.”

Seeing my troubled expression, Choi Juhyun pleaded with an even more pitiful look. She was essentially asking to join our group. I had no intention of allowing that, so I placed my hands on her arms. She flinched slightly.

“I understand your situation, but you’re just like those vagrants—a user. It’s difficult to accept someone like that into our group.”

“But if I’m left alone again, I’ll surely be attacked. Or I’ll fall to the monsters without a fight. I know it’s a shameless request, but at least let me help when the vagrants return. I know a bit about them, so I can be useful.”

As she recited her lines like a script, I took a step closer.

In the deep of night, in the heart of the forest, stood a female user, naked. The air was still warm from the recent encounter. As we exchanged glances, I slowly looked her over from head to toe. Choi Juhyun was quite pretty, the kind of beauty that would be admired in modern times. After a moment of appraisal, I spoke in a voice that might have sounded a bit cruel.

“Well, I think you might have something else to offer.”

I smirked, running my hand over her soft skin. Surprisingly, her expression didn’t change much. Had she anticipated this? She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. Then, her small lips parted slowly.

“I’m already a lost cause. If you promise to protect me… fine. Do as you wish.”

She let her arms fall, revealing her body. But I had no intention of taking her. If I had planned to recruit her, I would have at least given her something to wear.

Deciding it was time to start, I continued in a gentle tone.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding. No.”

“What?”

“I said no. Embracing a filthy body like yours would be an insult to my manhood. I don’t want to.”

“W-what do you mean? Then what should I do?”

Choi Juhyun stammered, her face a mix of confusion and panic. I stopped my hand on her arms and gripped them tightly. She winced in pain, a faint groan escaping her lips.

I leaned in and whispered softly in her ear.

“Like this.”

With that, I tightened my grip. A harsh ripping sound echoed as a scream pierced the clearing. Choi Juhyun staggered, unable to keep her balance. I let go of what I was holding and grabbed her hair to steady her.

“Aah… Ahhh!”

“Juhyun!”

As her pained cries filled the air, a dark figure leapt from the bushes. It was Kim Seungbeom, his face frantic. He must have been hiding nearby, waiting for the right moment.

Kim Seungbeom pointed at me with a trembling finger, his face a mask of horror.

“You, you bastard!”

“Oh, you’re back. Vagrant.”

“What have you done, you bastard!”

“Huh? Oh. You said she was following us, right? So I was going to kill her. Why?”

“It hurts! It hurts! Help me! Seungbeom, help me! Ahhh!”

Kim Seungbeom was momentarily speechless, but Choi Juhyun’s screams snapped him back to reality. He gritted his teeth, growling.

“You…! Let Juhyun go now. If you lay another finger on her, I’ll make sure you die in agony.”

“What? That’s rich coming from someone who was about to assault her. Did you fall for her already?”

“Enough talk. Send her over here. Now!”

Kim Seungbeom’s face was flushed with anger. I shrugged and replied calmly.

“Alright. I’ll give her to you.”

I moved my hand to Choi Juhyun’s neck. As my hand moved, confusion spread across his face. When my hand closed around her delicate neck, I clenched my fist with all my strength.

Crack, snap!

“Gah! Gah!”

“There you go.”

Thud. Roll.

Her neck shattered, I rolled her head towards him like a bowling ball. Blood traced a thin line across the grass as it rolled. Kim Seungbeom watched in shock, then slowly sank to his knees, devastated.

“Juhyun.”

“So her name was Juhyun. It’s a pretty name.”

“No, no. This can’t be. Juhyun. Juhyun? Answer me, Juhyun. Juhyun. Juhyun… Juhyun!”

Kim Seungbeom, as if in a trance, kept calling her name, then let out a heart-wrenching scream. His eyes wild, he looked ready to charge at me. I hummed a tune, calmly drawing my sword. I planned to silence his screaming mouth with a swift stab.

Just then.

“Don’t be rash, Kim Seungbeom.”

A husky voice stopped him in his tracks. Figures emerged from the shadows—behind rocks, trees, and bushes. The main event had arrived.

One, two, three, four, five. Including Kim Seungbeom and the now-deceased Choi Juhyun, that made seven. I had already assessed them with my third eye, so I wasn’t surprised. Instead, I quickly scanned their classes and abilities.

“Hmm.”

Nothing special. Some had decent experience and stats, but that was it. None of them were a match for me. I felt even more at ease. Was this how the martial god Cha Seunghyun felt facing 800 users?

While I was lost in thought, Kim Seungbeom struggled against the hands holding him back.

“That bastard, he killed Juhyun!”

“I know. It seems our plan was discovered. Calm down. He’s surrounded.”

The user in front of me had a gentle appearance, but there was a shadow in his eyes. Kim Seungbeom took a deep breath and stood up, now dressed and armed. His eyes, once filled with grief, now burned with murderous intent.

I surveyed the group. A swordsman, an archer, an axe warrior, a mage, a battle priest, and a regular priest. With Choi Juhyun, they made a decent caravan. The mage, who had first spoken, addressed me with a grim expression.

“I didn’t expect you to see through our plan. I thought something was off when the watch changed, but I didn’t expect this.”

“Heh. Your plan was decent. The actors’ performances were the problem.”

“Arrogant bastard. We were going to leave you alone until we found new resources, but that’s no longer necessary. Let’s see if you can keep that face when we capture you.”

“Capture me? Not kill me?”

Kim Seungbeom sharply questioned the mage’s words, and he chuckled darkly. It seemed the others, except for Kim Seungbeom, were unfazed, confirming they were indeed vagrants. And Kim Seungbeom was likely romantically involved with Choi Juhyun.

“Don’t worry. We’ll kill them all eventually. But first, we’ll catch this one and then ambush the others. Kill all the men, and as for the women… heh heh. I saw some decent ones in the city before. Lucky bastards.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You might think whatever you want, but Juhyun is mine… Ugh. I need to kill you right away.”

“Calm down. It’s not like I don’t feel anything when a comrade dies. First, we cut off this guy’s limbs, then make him watch as we have our way with the women. And finally, we cut their throats one by one right in front of him. How does that sound?”

The suggestion seemed to intrigue Kim Seungbeom, who paused with a grimace, nodding a couple of times before grinding his teeth.

“Ugh. Fine. That’s not a bad idea. In fact, it’s a great one. We’ll give them a taste of their own medicine.”

As Kim Seungbeom raised his sword with a slightly calmer demeanor, the others, who had been watching quietly, began to speak up.

“Just so you know, that whiny priestess is mine. I bet she’ll cry just the way I like.”

“I want the feisty one with the sharp tongue. I’m curious what she’ll scream when she’s under me. Heh heh.”

For the record, out of the six, five were men. The only woman was the archer who had been tracking us, her face hidden under a hood, remaining silent as the men exchanged crude jokes.

Anyway, as the ringleader of this circus, I slowly raised my sword. It seemed like all the actors had taken the stage, and it was time to bring the curtain down. A movie loses its thrill once everything is revealed. Seeing me ready my sword, the leader, a mage, sighed and spoke.

“Such bravado. I don’t understand why you came here alone knowing all this, but let’s show him the true terror of the whole plane. Alright, guys, rough him up a bit. Just don’t kill him.”

“Raaagh!”

As soon as the mage finished speaking, Kim Seungbeom charged with a wild scream. No form, no technique, just a reckless assault relying on his superior stats. Fool. I snorted and timed my strike, bringing my sword down. He raised his sword to block, but mine sliced through his weapon and cleaved his head cleanly in two.

Kim Seungbeom collapsed to the ground without a sound. The confidence among the onlookers quickly turned to chaos.

“Kim Seungbeom! Damn it! Was that a cutting spell? Did he have a magic weapon? Don’t panic! Hold your ground and wait for my defensive spell! Use our numbers to our advantage!”

“No, it wasn’t a cutting spell.”

I muttered in a weary voice, tilting my head slightly to the left, just in time to see an arrow whiz past. Just like I did with the scorpions in the dark forest, I let my sword graze the arrow as it flew by.

The arrow curved gracefully, guided by my touch, and pierced the neck of the priest who stood dumbfounded. Perfect shot.

“Three down. Four to go.”

“Insane. Hyunseung!”

“Ansoyeon! What the hell are you doing?”

“N-no! I swear, I didn’t mean to…”

Without moving a step, I had taken down three. Finally, the bandits seemed to grasp the situation, their faces lighting up with realization as they raised their weapons. But I had no intention of letting them regroup. I could take out at least one or two more before they got organized.

With that thought, I charged at the mage like a beast starved for blood.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Hello, this is Royujin.

Ah, I’m losing my mind. I have an appointment at 12:30 today, and I haven’t even left the house yet. My phone’s blowing up with calls from my friend, who’s the one who set this up. I told them I’d be 30 minutes late, so hopefully, I won’t get ditched as soon as I arrive. Haha.

Sorry, I’ll skip the replies for this chapter and split them into five each for chapter 145. I really need to get going. LOL.

PS. Quiz time! If anyone can guess the connection between this chapter’s title and its content, I’ll post an extra chapter on Sunday. And the first person to get it right will get a guaranteed reply for the next 10 chapters… :)